


no place on earth i'd rather be

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 06:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis wants Harry to go travelling with him. Harry has other ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	no place on earth i'd rather be

No Place On Earth I’d Rather Be

 

“Have you ever wanted to go to Japan?” Louis asked, flicking through the travel brochures. He was in Harry’s dorm room, sitting on the bed and trying to work out the perfect destination for the summer holidays.

“No.”

“What about Thailand?”

“Not particularly.”

“Italy?”

“Nope.”

“Harry, c’mon. I’ve been saving up for _three years_ to go on holiday to somewhere beautiful and exotic. And I want you to come with me. It won’t be the same without you,” Louis said, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“I don’t want to go,” Harry replied stubbornly. “Go with Zayn.”

“You’re behaving like a child!”

“I won’t be able to get out of classes for that long anyway,” Harry said, ignoring him. It was a terrible excuse and they both knew it.

“How long am I even planning on going?” Louis demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

“I-I…well, it’ll be too long anyway!”

“Seven fucking _days_ is not too long. I went to University too, you know. I know how much fucking time you get off. Don’t give me that shit.”

“I don’t want to go away with you.”

“Why not?” Louis demanded.

“I just don’t!”

“Fine.”

And with that, Louis stalked out of the room without a second glance.

***

Harry was flicking through the travel brochures when Niall got back, and he was given one disapproving look before he was subjected to the angry rant of his best friend.

“Louis’ really pissed with you, alright? He wanted to do a really nice thing—hell, I wouldn’t turn down someone spending more than three hundred quid on me—and you threw some sort of hissy fit about it? What the fuck, man?” Niall said.

“Shut up, Niall,” Harry replied, trying to focus his tear-glazed eyes on the glossy pictures of Paris.

“Just tell me _why_ , Haz. Or, better yet, tell Louis.”

“I can’t.”

“If you’re gonna behave like a teenage drama queen all night, I’m gonna go stay at Liam’s,” Niall threatened.

“Go on, then,” Harry replied moodily. “It’s not like you don’t stay there every night already.”

“Don’t you play the pity card.”

Then Niall left, too.

Harry was alone again.

***

He was five when he first sat in the window seat of an aeroplane. He was fascinated by the wings (although they didn’t look stable enough; were the flaps meant to move like that?) and even though he cried at liftoff, when his ears started popping, he was okay until they hit turbulence.

They’d dipped and shook as they moved stutteringly forwards, and Harry had cried for the rest of the journey. Even as a young child, he was embarrassed by the fat tears that rolled down his pudgy cheeks, and he had tried to wipe them away even as they continually rolled and burst from his eyes.

When he was eight, they took a ferry to France. That had been better, just the gentle rocking of the sea and the blue-green of the water. He’d run carelessly to the railing, leaning over as far as he could go, and…

He hadn’t fallen off.

Gemma had pulled him back, and his mum had yelled at him, about how worried she’d been and how he could have died.

He burst into tears again.

They didn’t go on holiday after that.

***

“Haz. Haz?”

Louis knew it was midnight, and that sneaking into Harry’s dorm room was creepy, but he couldn’t sleep. Not even when he’d snuck into his roommate, Zayn’s, bed at ten, it wasn’t the presence of another body alone that he needed. It was Harry.

And now he was tired enough that he was swallowing his pride and he was climbing into bed next to Harry, who, to his credit, did not punch Louis into the face upon entry into his personal space. This also might be a safety concern, Louis considered, because Harry didn’t even open his eyes in order to check that it was his boyfriend and not some psycho stalker.

“I’m sorry,” Louis murmured, carding one hand through Harry’s curls and wrapping his cold feet around Harry’s ankles.

“’S okay,” Harry replied. “I was a dick about it.”

“You don’t have to go. I’ll take Aiden instead.”

“Not Zayn?”

“You know how Zayn feels about swimming. I’m not going anywhere with a pool only to have him sit and sunbathe. Who’ll play Marco Polo with me? Who will I dunk under for uncomfortably long?” Louis laughed softly, trying to break the tension. “I’d rather it was you, though.”

“Obviously.”

“You’re getting to cocky,” Louis chided gently. Then, hesitantly: “Why don’t you want to go?”

“’M scared of flying. And going on boats,” Harry admitted.

“Okay.”

“Wait…you’re not gonna tell me to face my fears?”

“Nah, that only works if you’re Batman. I’m not forcing you into a metal tin can that could plunge into the ocean at any moment. That’s just cruel.”

“You’re not scared, then?”

“Scared? Bloody hell, I’m terrified. I s’pose I just think what’s on the other side is worth it, though,” Louis replied. “That’s why I wouldn’t be all that great a holding your hand and talking you through it.”

“Mmhmm. Love you,” Harry mumbled, resting his head on Louis’ chest and closing his eyes again.

“Good. I’ll send you a postcard.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comment/Bookmark :)


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